1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pickup device and an electric stringed musical instrument using the pickup device. More particularly, the present invention relates to such a pickup device which can be easily attached to and detached from a body of an electric stringed musical instrument and an electric stringed musical instrument using the pickup device.
2. Discussion of Related Art
In an electric stringed musical instrument such as an electric guitar, there has been conventionally used a pickup device capable of picking up, as electric signals, vibrations of strings of the electric stringed musical instrument. As a structure for mounting such a pickup device on a body of the electric stringed musical instrument, there has been generally known one in which the pickup device is fixed to the musical instrument using screws and ends of a coil of the pickup device are electrically connected by soldering to an electric component of the musical instrument. Further, other structures disclosed in the following Patent Literatures 1 and 2, for instance, are also known.
In the structure disclosed in the Patent Literature 1, a pickup is attached to a slide plate so as to form a pickup unit. Wires of the pickup are connected to electrically conductive plates attached to the slide plate. In a body of an electric stringed musical instrument described in the Patent Literature 1, a recess is formed in which the pickup unit is installed, and there are formed, in the inner peripheral surface of the recess, a groove into which the slide plate is slidably fitted. In the groove, tongue-like conductable connecting terminals are provided which are configured to come into pressing contact with the conductive plates. The body has a two-part dividable or foldable structure in which the body is openable so as to be placed in a folded state or closable so as to be placed in a flat state. The body is kept in the flat state via a fastening hardware or member.
When the pickup unit is replaced with another one in the Patent Literature 1, the fastening metal member is initially unfastened so that the body is opened, namely, the body is placed in the folded state. Subsequently, the slide plate is slidingly moved outward, so that the installed pickup unit is pulled out of the recess. Thereafter, the slide plate of another pickup is slidingly inserted into the groove of the recess, whereby the pickup unit is fitted in the recess for installation. Finally, the body is closed, namely, the body is placed in the flat state, and the fastening metal member is fastened such that the body is locked so as not to be opened.
A pickup disclosed in the Patent Literature 2 includes plugs connected to the coils. By inserting the plugs into respective jacks provided on a body, an electrically conductive state is established therebetween and the pickup is installed on the body.    Patent Literature 1: JP-A-2004-163717    Patent Literature 2: U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,210    Patent Literature 3: U.S. Pat. No. 5,949,014